For nearly the past 30 years, I have been an entrepreneur, problem solver, and recovering survivor of the dotcom era. Over the years, working with notable clients such as Brown-Forman, Hershey, Makers Mark, Microsoft, Disney, United States Department of Defense, United States Air Force, National Guard, Cummins Inc, and others, I developed an affinity for team building, digital strategy development and implementation, enterprise application design and development, digital media and marketing, CRM and loyalty program development and management, as well as collecting, talking, and drinking bourbon. I also discovered I have a passion for chocolate, mostly just eating it.Throughout my professional career, I focused on building, growing, and mentoring teams that concentrate on listening and hearing the needs of clients. By listening to their needs and understanding their customers, this helped identify business problems, process issues, and consumer activation opportunities across multi-channel environments. These efforts led to the implementation of numerous solutions for consumer engagement, both online and offline. I learned being an attentive and empathetic listener, as well as being able to articulate technical requirements and solutions in relatable terms to broad audiences, helped build cohesion and focus across internal business units and external teams including partners, vendors, and contractors. This is especially beneficial when, all too often, C-suite executives, marketing, IT, and sales teams are charged with different and unique objectives and goals. These do not always align with the rest of the organization, not to mention they often speak in a wide range of languages. Growing the skills of my teams, and always placing themselves in the position of customers, has been top priority. It isn’t thinking outside of a box when you study, understand, and appreciate the needs of each intended user audience. Ultimately, when solutions align with consumer desires and an organization’s capabilities, everyone succeeds.Today, although I am enjoying my retirement, I continue to combine my personal interests in bourbon and consumer engagement as a bourbon evangelist, Executive Bourbon Steward (Stave & Thief Society), bourbon writer, and co-host of the Bourbon Show and the Bourbon Daily podcasts, part of the ABVNetwork.